JUAN SAYS: One politician’s lapse in judgment may cause the party the Presidential bid. A day of fun, entertainment and celebration succeeded in 2 points. Fun and entertainment. But the joke is on LP, Mar, Tolentino and Agarao. Wrong move. Wrong emcee. Wrong newspaper to invite in a political event?

by Francesca Chair Aquino Ceron (Anti-Rape Advocate)

Now you tell me…. How do I vote for Mar who is under the liberal party when this is the kind of people they have? If LP cannot screen party mates and they condone this behavior and culture, how do you expect these people to help us in our advocacy for women– they themselves are part of the problem.

I’ll start by reiterating by saying that this isn’t uncommon. Some meetings with politicians, when talking about deals or projects, happen in girlie bars or penthouse condos — politicians pa nga will be the ones to say “good time naman tayo.” I used to work for an international consultancy firm in the Philippines which deals with government officials and government projects. Mayroon kaming hired male staff to do the “PR” and take out people for “good time.” This was 13 years ago. I would’ve said something about it but not as strongly. When you live within the walls of a dysfunctional system, it’s hard to see clearly. It took me a few years in Australia to recognize how we have tolerated and been molded to accept things. But in fairness to local politicians, it happened too when we were dealing with PNG executive government officials so it’s not just a PH culture.

It does happen in the Philippines (as insinuated by the congressman in question, Representative Agarao), but NOT in a public campaign party like this. They would hire local talents to sing or dance.

Secondly, if the Liberal Party nor MAR do not do or say anything regarding this party and incident, it reflects on the Liberal Party and MAR who is running under it.

These women were gifts from Tolentino of MMDA (both Agarao and Tolentino have denied it), but still, it happened in a party where congressmen, senatoriables, college kids (scholars), parents etc. were present. And you know what’s worse? The “honorable” congressman does not find anything wrong with the show– he misses the point, and again, this isn’t a private party.

This is typical of our culture– I expect a president or candidate to have a strong stand about this. Pero we’ve ‘normalized’ it and people here even excused the LP or Mar from accountability. An emcee announced it on the microphone “regalo or galing Kay Tolentino,” which right then and there, Tolentino should have corrected. If that happened in another country like Australia, Agarao and Tolentino would be gone from LP! In Australia, politicians are treated lowest of the low when found using government credit cards to book an “escort.”

I don’t know about you, but MAR’s inaction or shrugging this incident off will determine if he gets my vote. If LP and Mar are going to ignore this, it gives me a glimpse how they will let peers get away with things 2016 onwards.